HS2 and homebuilding schemes could be 'at risk of delay' because Britain faces an alarming shortage of archaeologists needed to examine relics dug up during construction.

The £55.7billion high speed rail project is expected to uncover a host of artefacts and completion could be in jeopardy unless more trained workers are hired, experts have warned.

Road upgrades and work on the rail networks planned over the next 17 years could also face delay - leading to employers and universities urgently trying to encourage school leavers into archaeology.

The £55.7billion HS2 (pictured, an artist's impression) and homebuilding schemes could be 'at risk of delay' because Britain faces an alarming shortage of archaeologists needed to examine relics dug up during construction

There are 3,000 people employed in commercial archaeology in England, a number that will need to grow by at least 25% over the next six years, according to the report by public body Historic England (HE) to be published on Monday.

Universities and employers are trying to encourage young people into apprentice programmes and archaeological field schools to plug the gap.

Projects touted as under threat by the lack of skilled workers include work on the Hinkley Point power station and the Thames Tideway Tunnel - a 15-mile 'super-sewer' which will greatly reduce the amount of untreated sewage that overflows into the Thames.

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Developers are required to fund archaeological excavation as part of planning permission policy introduced 25 years ago, a move that has led to 'remarkable discoveries,' according to HE.

Notable finds during excavation work on major infrastructure projects include the unearthing of the remains of an elephant, whose species is now extinct.

The animal, uncovered in Ebbsfleet, Kent during the works for HS1, was butchered with flint knives 420,000 years ago by pre-Neanderthals.

Historic England's chief executive, Duncan Wilson (pictured), said his organisation was making 'co-ordinated action' to ensure more trained professionals were in place

The only chariot racing stadium ever found in England was discovered during a housing development in Colchester.

In 2013 an 'exceptional' Roman sculpture of an eagle clasping a serpent in its beak was unearthed by archaeologists in the final hours of a dig at a London building site.

Historic England's chief executive, Duncan Wilson, said his organisation was making 'co-ordinated action' to ensure more trained professionals were in place to meet the upturn in demand.

He added: 'Put simply, more spadework is needed, and this calls for us to think hard about how we can offer a new generation routes into the profession.'

Historic England has custodianship of 400 historic sites, with responsibility for looking after the historic environment.

Nick Shepherd, chief executive of the Federation of Archaeological Managers and Employers, said: 'The delivery of new UK housing and infrastructure depends not only on engineers and bricklayers, but also on archaeologists.

'Archaeological investigation is now a core part of the development process.

'This report makes clear that the government infrastructure plans over the next decade present a challenge to ensure sufficient archaeological capacity is in place to support construction of the new roads, rail and energy projects vital to economic growth.'

The news that the HS2 could be affected comes as a descendant of the founder of world-famous department store Liberty is battling to save the country house the family has owned for generations from the ravages of Britain’s new high-speed rail line.

HS2 is scheduled to pass just 800 yards from 500-year-old Field End Grange, a Tudor-era cottage in the village of The Lee in Buckinghamshire, owned by businessman Richard Stewart-Liberty.

The house, worth £1.5 million, was bought in 1890 by his great-great-uncle, Sir Arthur Liberty, who made his fortune after founding the London store that became famous for its fabric prints.

But it is threatened by the route of the controversial new London-Birmingham rail route through the Chiltern Hills.

Developers are required to fund archaeological excavation as part of planning permission policy introduced 25 years ago